The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) has launched a consultation to try to get a sense from industry of how engineering knowledge and skills are changing in the 21st century and what will be required to attract, educate, recruit, and support engineers and technicians of the future.
The ‘Engineering 2030’ initiative is being run in collaboration with the National Engineering Policy Centre and, the academy has said, ‘represents a comprehensive effort to help facilitate a greater understanding of these requirements and to ensure that the engineering profession is equipped to address the demands of the future effectively’.
The aim is to better understand and prioritise wider access to education and technical training. Retraining engineers through reskilling and upskilling will ultimately provide individuals with technical competencies and ethical frameworks, crucial for success, the RAEng has said.
Educators, practicing engineers and technicians, professional bodies, and other organisations and individuals are therefore being invited to participate in the Vision and Principles for Engineers 2030 consultation, which will close on 1 July.
The insights provided will then inform the development of a shared vision statement, guiding principles, and strategic priorities for the Engineers 2030 initiative, it said.
To complement the consultation, the RAEng has published two new resources. The first is the design of a reimagined degree map in partnership with Engineers Without Borders UK.
Developed in response to conversations with hundreds of educators, students, professionals, deans, accrediting bodies and professional engineering institutions, the Reimagined Degree Map ‘empowers decision-makers with the tools to facilitate real change’, the academy said.
In addition, it has launched a Sustainability Toolkit, developed in association with the Engineering Professional Council and Siemens, to help engineering academics effectively integrate sustainability principles in student learning programmes.
